Russia presents road map for Korean settlement

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Russia, being an active player on the world political stage, developed a road map for the settlement of the situation on Korean peninsula.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov presented the Russian stage-by-stage plan for the settlement of the situation on the Korean Peninsula while speaking at the opening of the 8th Asian Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Seoul, TASS reported.

The reduction of military tension should become the first step, according to the diplomat.

“This is possible, I am absolutely sure of it, in case North Korea abandons missile and nuclear tests while the scale and intensity of the American-South Korean exercises simultaneously reduces. You can quite rightly tell me that these are phenomena of different order as the exercise is a legitimate form of international activity, while North Korea's tests are illegal and banned by the UN Security Council,” he said.

However, the mutual negative impact of both North Korea's nuclear tests and U.S. military exercises is undeniable, according to Morgulov.

He stressed that this idea constitutes the first stage of the “road map for the Korean settlement” proposed by Russia.

“North Korea should stop nuclear and missile exercises, and the U.S. and its allies should reduce at least the scale of ongoing regular military exercises in the region,” the deputy minister underlined.

The second stage should involve the beginning of direct negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea.

However, this step can be achieved if “the restraint shown by Pyongyang during the last two months” - the country did not conduct any tests or launches since September 15 - will be “met by appropriate reciprocal steps on the part of the U.S. and its allies.”

“Is it possible? I am absolutely sure that it is possible. The topic of these talks would be very simple - the principles of peaceful coexistence. I am sure that the absence of such an agreement generates mutual hostility and distrust among the parties,” Morgulov said.

Refraining from the threat of use of force, developing the bases for further cooperation and normalizing relations would eliminate the bulk of the prerequisites for new rounds of tension, according to the diplomat.

At the second stage, the resumption of the inter-Korean dialogue would also have a positive effect, he noted.

“These two states have something to discuss. I know that our South Korean partners are ready for such a dialogue and show a constant interest in launching it,” he added.

Finally, at the third stage, after such negotiations take place, it would be necessary to launch a process which will gather all the countries involved to discuss the entire complex of issues of collective security in Asia, the deputy foreign minister said.

This includes the issues of denuclearization of North Korea, since without this it makes no sense to launch the whole process of dialogue, according to the deputy minister.

Moscow is working actively with Pyongyang to ensure that its unilateral moratorium on missile launches and nuclear tests lasted as long as possible, he added.

“We positively estimate that for two months now there has been a regime of silence on the part of North Korea, and Russia is actively working with them so that this regime lasts as long as possible,” the diplomat said.

In fact, this means that Pyongyang has begun to implement the first point of the Russian road map for resolving the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, according to Morgulov.

At the same time, against the backdrop of two months of silence, the U.S. not only does not plan to reduce the scale of maneuvers, but also to hold unplanned military exercises.

“Unfortunately, this is the answer that North Korea receives from the U.S. in response to its two-month silence,” Morgulov said, adding that Moscow “assesses this negatively.”

Russian MPs are currently on their official visit to North Korea which will last until December 1.

The delegation, which includes representatives of all four Duma factions, is headed by the coordinator of the parliamentary friendship group with North Korea, the MP from the Communist Party Kazbek Taisaev.

In the course of the visit, they intend to discuss with the North Korean colleagues peaceful ways of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the termination of the militarization of the region.

The active phase of the crisis on the Korean peninsula began in August 2017, when Pyongyang tested ballistic missiles and announced the successful testing of the hydrogen bomb.

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously imposed a set of sanctions against North Korea on September 11 over the country’s hydrogen bomb test which was conducted on September 3.

The sanctions included limits on import of crude oil and oil products, a ban on textile exports and new visas for North Korean oversees workers.

However, North Korea tested another missile on September 15 in response to the latest set of sanctions imposed by the UN.